The Punjab Congress has launched a sharp attack on the state government over unprecedented marathon power cuts lasting as long as 10 to 12 hours. Punjab Pradesh Congress president Amaninder Singh Raja Warring questioned the claims of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) that the power cuts were "planned" and necessitated for maintenance reasons.
Warring asked why the PSPCL did not carry out the maintenance during the winter season, as is standard practice, when demand is low and people are not subjected to suffering due to power outages. He noted that this was yet another distinction the Aam Aadmi Party achieved, pushing the power-surplus Punjab to a power-deficient state. He disclosed that the industry across the state was suffering an average daily loss of Rs 500 crore. Besides, people were subjected to severe heatwave conditions without electricity.
The PCC president pointed out that the power outages affected the industrial cities of Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, and Bathinda. MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa raised serious concerns over the Punjab government's priorities, pointing out the stark contrast between the chief minister's ongoing Europe tour to attract industrial investment and the worsening electricity situation back home. Randhawa stated that while the state government is showcasing Punjab as an attractive investment destination abroad, the ground reality tells a very different story, with widespread power cuts and unstable electricity supply crippling daily life and economic activity.
He remarked that uninterrupted power supply is one of the most fundamental requirements for any industrial growth and questioned how the government expects to bring global investors to Punjab when existing businesses are struggling to operate due to frequent and unannounced outages. "On one hand, the chief minister is touring Europe promising industrial growth and economic expansion, while on the other, traders, small industries, and even households in Punjab are facing prolonged power cuts. This contradiction exposes a serious gap between claims and reality," Randhawa said.
